


Cinders - The Rising 2020.

by Rivenroad



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Final Fantasy XIV - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26106487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivenroad/pseuds/Rivenroad
Summary: The Warrior of Light is a woman with many burdens on her shoulders. Carrying the weight of the world, she's spent years burying her own needs and wants.But now, on the anniversary of the Battle of Carteneau, she finally finds the inner strength to confront that which pains her the most.
Kudos: 1





	Cinders - The Rising 2020.

The cold night wind whipped through her hair, the ocean breeze leaving the woman completely breathless in its wake. How many years had passed since last she stood here, since the light of the stars and moon refracted off those sea-green eyes of hers? Since the silver glow from the aetheryte crystal illuminated and intensified that already vibrant shade of red in her hair? How long, she questioned, since the day her brother turned his back to her; for the first, and the last, time?

And how many years had passed since she stood in this place, where she and her brother used to sit, by the shrine dedicated to the watcher? Freia could feel tears brimming over her eyes as she turned her head towards the stone shrine. How ironic was it that the last time she and her brother met… Was under the watchful gaze of the Goddess of navigation, overseer of the vast seas? Though her memory was hazy at best, and headache inducing to say the least, she was able to briefly recall the dark hue of his eyes as Jacen Greenwood turned his back to her.

Five years, that's right…

Five long, gruelling years, and on the eve of the first she fell to her knees in despair. Where had he gone, why do people deny him? And whose voice was it which echoed and clawed at the back of her mind, raking away at her until she would be consumed by exhaustion?

Anger, resentment, weariness, emptiness. All words to describe how she felt that night, as she lay crumpled on the ground before the shrine to Llymlaen. Hands pressed to her forehead, nails digging at her own hair, and cheeks stained with her own tears - threatening to wash away the tattoo on her cheek, were it not permanent. Though, at the time, she supposed that she wished it had. Lest it not continue to serve as a reminder most painful for her. A reminder that she was, for the first time since infancy, alone. She had nobody left, and her heart ached so terribly for what she now found herself lacking.

But now, all of the resentment she held onto was gone, and it was replaced by clarity and acceptance. With his departure, Jacen named Freia as his successor. She was certain that he knew he would die, and her inheritance was the only proof she needed of this.

"Hear… Feel… Think…"

The words of the mother crystal, echoing in her head, repeating every night in her dreams. At first, it was like a nightmare that she didn't want to acknowledge, but it continued. Without fail, each night, Freia heard from Hydaelyn. And with time, came a reluctant acceptance of the fate thrust upon her.

"Look to those who walked before, to lead those who walk after…"

The last words spoken to her by Jacen, an agonizing memory which Freia held close to her heart - words she would never forget. Words that would shape her, that would force her to take up the mantle he left behind in death. To rise up, to grow, and to become strong. And to fulfill what she hoped to be his final wishes. Even if she wanted none of this, even if she wanted to pull away from the forceful grip of the light.

Freia's eyes drifted shut, and her chest expanded as she breathed in the scent of the seawater. She held it in for as long as she could before releasing, and once she did, it sounded rather sharp. But she didn't shed a tear, for she had none left in her. Instead, her red painted lips stretched into a smile. Contentedly, she once more locked her gaze onto the moon, hanging high above her. 

With a single, delicate motion, she brought both hands up to her chest and folded her fingers together. Freia hesitated for but a moment before she finally spoke.

"Thank you. For everything you've done, everything you've left me. Wherever you are, I pray you find peace."

Short, sweet, but as she closed her statement, her voice cracked. Her chest burned and her heart raced as she fought back further tears. Her brow creased, and the grip on her hands relaxed. She allowed her arms to drop back to her sides, and her foot moved backward. Then, using her heel, she pivoted so her back was toward the shrine. 

There was no turning back now, no more lingering in the past, and allowing her to dwell in the pain that once overshadowed her heart. She knew now that it was time to look to the future, with her head held high and with pride in her eyes.


End file.
